Your Camera Loves You Learn to Love It Back
Transcript of Your Camera Loves You Learn to Love It Back
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Your Camera Loves You: Learn to Love It BackKhara Plicanic
Peachpit Press
1249 Eighth Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
510/524-2178
510/524-2221 (fax)
Find us on the Web at www.peachpit.com
To report errors, please send a note to [email protected]
Peachpit Press is a division of Pearson Education
Copyright 2012 by Kabloom Studios, Inc.
Acquisitions Editor: Ted Waitt
Associate Editor: Valerie Witte
Production Editor: Myrna Vladic
Developmental Editor: Kelly Kordes Anton
Copyeditor: Kelly Kordes Anton
Proofreader: Liz WelchComposition: WolfsonDesign
Indexer: Joy Dean Lee
Cover Design: Mimi Heft
Interior Design: Andreas F. S. deDanaan
Notice of Rights
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For
information on getting permission for reprints and excerpts, contact [email protected].
Notice of Liability
The information in this book is distributed on an As Is basis, without warranty. While every precaution has
been taken in the preparation of the book, neither the author nor Peachpit shall have any liability to any person or
entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the instructions
contained in this book or by the computer software and hardware products described in it.
Trademarks
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are c laimed as
trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and Peachpit was aware of a trademark claim, the
designations appear as requested by the owner of the trademark. All other product names and services identified
throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of
infringement of the trademark. No such use, or the use of any trade name, is intended to convey endorsement or
other affiliation with this book.
ISBN-13: 978-0-321-78410-0
ISBN10:978-0-321-78410-3
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed and bound in the United States of America
http://www.peachpit.com/http://www.peachpit.com/ -
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DedicationTo those who seek a life beyond auto mode.
AcknowledgmentsGroup hug for the entire Peachpit crew! Including, but not limited to, Lisa
Brazieal, Scott Cowlin, Andreas F. S. deDanaan, Mimi Heft, Kelly Kordes Anton,
Joy Dean Lee, Sara Jane Todd, Myrna Vladic, Ted Waitt, Liz Welch, Valerie
Witte, and WolfsonDesign. You are all quite simplyamazing.
Robin Williams, whose generosity aligned the stars and eventually made
this book a reality. From Santa Fe to London, and everywhere in between
a million thanks.
Jim and Maria Lintelthe best parents in the world! In addition to your
unwavering love and support, I thank you for the many ways you have
helped shape my life, my teachingand ultimately, this book. I love you.
And finally, this book literally would not be the same without my incredible
husband Emir. (Love you!) Whether helping with illustrations, graciously
posing for a photo, putting up with countless late nights (very late nights),
letting me play on the other side of the lens now and then, or simply being
there when I needed youyou are my unwavering hero. Go team!
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ContentsFEELIN THE LOVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix
Part 1: One with the Camera 1CHAPTER 1 THREES COMPANY
Understanding shutter speed, aperture, and ISO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
A simple press of the button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Shutter speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Aperture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9ISO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Putting it all together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Chapter snapshot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
CHAPTER 2 SHOOTING MODE BONANZA
Getting bossy, and learning to like it. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Automated modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Specialty modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Scene modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Priority modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Full control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Chapter snapshot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
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Contents v
CHAPTER 3 FUNCTION JUNCTION
Flash, white balance, and exposure compensation.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
White balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Exposure compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Flash compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Self-timer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
C h a p t e r s n a p s h o t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 9
CHAPTER 4 FUNCTION JUNCTION, PART DEUX
Metering, auto exposure lock, focus, and drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Metering modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Auto exposure lock (AEL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Drive modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Thats not all, folks! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Chapter snapshot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
CHAPTER 5 GETTIN YOUR GLASS ON
The lowdown on lenses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
Whats with all those numbers? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Macro lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Point-and-shoot lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Shopping for lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
C h a p t e r s n a p s h o t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 8
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CHAPTER 6 ROCK THAT CAMERA!
Real-world problem solving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Challenge: Backlit situation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Challenge: Stage lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
C h a l l e n g e : N i g h t s c e n e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 1Challenge: Indoor sporting event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114
Chapter snapshot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Part 2: Almost There 121CHAPTER 7 RAW VS. JPG
Whats the deal? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Lets start at the beginning, shall we? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
The verdict? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127Chapter snapshot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
CHAPTER 8 RESOLUTION REVELATION
Power to the pixels! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
What is a pixel, anyway? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Pixels and resolution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Chapter snapshot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
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CHAPTER 9 DEATH BY CROPPING
(Dont shoot the messenger!) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Mild and unavoidable crops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
E x t r e m e c r o p p i n g . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 4 5
Getting closer and cropping less . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 48Chapter snapshot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Part 3: Now You're Cookin' ! 153CHAPTER 10 FROM ZERO TO HERO
Better photos are yours for the taking! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Snapshots vs. photographs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Ready, set, stop!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Get off the bench! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163Composition-it s not just for musicians and English majors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Chapter snapshot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Part 4: Life After the Click 185CHAPTER 11 SET YOUR IMAGES FREE!
The 411 on downloading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Kickin it old school . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Connecting with your computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189Downloading your files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Chapter snapshot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
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CHAPTER 12 BACK IT UP YALL!
Automation is your friend. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
External hard drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Backup software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Online backups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201What about CD/DVDs? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Chapter snapshot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203
CHAPTER 13 THE PARTY CONTINUES!
Resources for organizing, sharing, and printing your images.. . . . . . . . . . 205
Getting organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206
Sharing your photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Printing your memories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Editing your photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
C h a p t e r s n a p s h o t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 9
YOU DID IT!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
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Feelin' the LoveYour digital camera loves you.It always has. Sure, it gets stuck shooting in auto mode most of the time
and graciously takes the blame when the photos arent what youd hoped for.
And yet, its still there for you. Silently waiting and patiently hoping for that
one daythe day you come around and realize how good youve had it all
along, finally giving it the chance to live up to all the impressive functionality
it was built for. (Cue the heroic music.)
But, more often than not, before your camera ever gets the chance to shine,
it gets kicked to the curb by a newer model. A neighbor, friend, or relative inno-cently shows off his or her latest camera acquisitionand before you know it,
youre smitten. You are certain, beyond a doubt, that a new camera will solve
all your photo problems. A newer/fancier/more mega-pixel-y camera will
make all your bad photos a thing of the past, right?!
No fancy equipment
requireda little red
paper and yellow
poster board can go a
long way! After taping
the poster board to the
side of our house, I got
into position while my
husband Emir took the
shot. Easy!
Feelin the Love ix
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x Your Camera Loves You: Learn To Love It Back
Sorry to break it to ya, but the problem isnt your camera. And the idea that
buying a new one will magically morph your pictures into photographic gold
is like believing that a new high-end glue gun will make you the next Martha
Stewart. (Just bein honest, folks!)
The path to better pictures starts not with a new camera, but with learningto use the one youve got. As it turns out, cameras dont take great photos
people do. And believe it or not, people have created incredible images with
cameras made from an oatmeal box (seriously). The buck stops here.
REALLY, ANY CAMER A WILL DO!
In an effort to prove that having a fancy camera isnt required to capture stun-
ning photos, I made a point of including images in this book that were captured
with a variety of cameras, ranging from a high-end professional model dSLR
to a compact point-and-shoot camera thats at least six years past its prime.
The figure captions will point this out in cases where I felt it was helpful or
interesting to note.
ABOUT THIS BOOK
This book is about redefining the relationship you have with your camerafrom
one that may be somewhat adversarial to one of respect and cooperation.
Though you may wish otherwise, this book is not a replacement for your
cameras user guide. Seriously. Its not. So dont toss yours! (If youve already
lost it, do a quick Google search or check the manufacturers website to find a
copy you can download. Or, if you prefer a hard copy, call the manufacturer to
order one or check eBay.com.)
(Courtesy of What
the Duck Comics
Aaron Johnson,
www.whattheduck.net)
T I P
Curious about taking
photos with an oatmeal
box? Or think Im making
the whole thing up? Check
out www.pinhole.org or
www.pinholeday.org for
galleries and more infor-
mation than you ever
dreamed of about pinhole
cameras.
http://www.whattheduck.net/http://www.pinhole.org/http://www.pinholeday.org/http://www.pinholeday.org/http://www.pinhole.org/http://www.whattheduck.net/ -
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Feelin the Love xi
The cameras user guide is actually so important that I recommend you dig it
out and have it on hand while you go through this book. (Seriously. You can go
grab it nowIll wait here.)
Carefully crafted to be applicable to any camera, anywhere, anytime, this book
is meant to be a broad overview of how most cameras generally function. The
exact way in which it applies to you and your camera will vary by model. If you
have questions about locating a certain feature or menu option on your cam-
era, you bet your sweet pixels Ill be referring you to your user guide for the
answer. If you can make peace with that now, the rest will be easy!
Chapter 1 will give you a basic overview of some important terms and a broad
understanding of the magic that happens every time you click the shutter,
making it the best place to start, even if you plan to jump around to other
chapters later. (For best results, I suggest that you read this book sequentially,
as each chapter builds on the previously covered topics.)
Whether you have a dSLR, a pocket-size point-and-shoot camera, or something
in betweensit back, relax, and read your way to triumphant photographic bliss
(without the usual techno babble)!
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PA RT 1
One withthe Camera
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CHAPTER1
Three's
Company
Fast shutter speeds make it possible to freeze the action in your photos.
Here, a shutter speed of 1/800th of a second made it possible to freeze
Ryan mid-air as he leapt over his brother Adam.
UNDERSTANDING SHUTTER
SPEED, APERTURE, AND ISO
Remember that scene in The Wizard of Oz where Toto pulls
back the green curtain and we all see that the man behind the
all powerful Oz isnt nearly as scary as everyone thought?
In fact, he turned out to be kind of sweet, even offering to fly
Dorothy home in his hot air balloon.
Think of this chapter as your own look behind the curtain.
While you wont find a sparkling Emerald City, you will find
your way to an understanding of the magic that happens
with every photo you take.
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4 Your Camera Loves You: Learn To Love It Back
A lot of things happen in an instant when you press the shutter button and they
all directly impact the resulting photowhether it pleasantly surprises you, is
just what you were expecting, or leaves you shaking your head and aiming to
try again. A little bit of understanding goes a long way toward helping you get
the results you want (without requiring a Ph.D. in camera technology, thank-
fully). As sophisticated as todays cameras are, in many ways theyre actually
still quite simple. So dont let the bells, whistles, and mountains of megapixels
fool you. The mechanics of photography havent changed and are simpler than
youd thinkI promise!
A simple press of the buttonEvery photo you take is the direct result of the combination of three things known
as shutter speed, aperture, and ISO (Figure 1.1). Each one controls a single aspect
of how the resulting image will look.
You may be relieved to know that theres no right or wrong answer when it comesto how to combine these three variablesas long as you get an exposure (aka:
picture) youre happy with.
Figure 1.1 This is the
ever-famous exposure
triangle. It represents
the way shutter speed,
aperture, and ISO come
together to create an
exposure.
sensitivity to light/digital noise
ISO
shutterspeed aperture
quantity of light/depth of fieldtime/motion
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Chapter 1: Three's Company 5
To understand how Figures 1.2 and 1.3 , captured only moments apart, can be
made to look different from each other, we need to get on a first-name basis
with each of the three variables.
Figure 1.2 The movement
in this scene appears crisp,as if frozen in time.
1/100, f/4.5, 100, dSLR
Figure 1.3 Here, the
movement in the scene
is blurred, conveying a
sense of motion.
1/4, f/22, 100, dSLR
T I P
Wondering what all those
numbers at the end of the
figure captions mean?
They indicate the shutter
speed, aperture, and
ISO settings (in that
order) used to capturethe related image. Some
captions even include the
style of camera useda
dSLR or a point & shoot.
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6 Your Camera Loves You: Learn To Love It Back
Shutter speedControls time and motion, and how much of it gets
recorded in a single photo.
If we compare a camera to the human eye, the shutter would be the equivalent
of your eyelid. The shutterwhich can open and close in a fraction of a second,
or much sloweris directly responsible for the incredible images youve seen of
blurred waterfalls and streaked car lights as well as pictures of exploding bal-
loons and your favorite sports hero, frozen in time.
Typically measured in fractions of a second, the shutter speed controls thelength of time light is allowed to access the cameras sensor (where the image
is actually captured). In other words, it controls how long the cameras eye is
open, so to speak. For example, a shutter speed of 1/500th of a second means
that when you take a picture, the shutter will be open and the camera will be
recording (exposing) for exactly 1/500th of a second.
Minimum and maximum shutter speeds vary, and may range from as fast as
1/8000th of a second to as slow as several seconds or even hours. Some
cameras also include a shutter speed setting called bulb, where the shutter
will stay open for as long as you continue to hold the shutter down. Neato!
Figure 1.4 shows the relationship between shutter speed and time.
Don't panic!If youre already suspicious and feel like you might get overwhelmed,
remember that depending on your shooting mode, you can always
choose to have the camera do all the work for you. After all, thats what
auto mode is there for. But the truth is, if you always got what you
wanted from auto mode, you wouldnt be holding this book, right? Im
not suggesting you jump off the high board and become a full-blown
techno geek, but you can do better. You and your photos deserve better.
Knowledge is power, so consider this chapter your charging station.
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Chapter 1: Three's Company 7
Slower shutter speeds result in moving objects being recorded as blurry
streaksso if you want to convey movement or the passing of time in a photo,
you choose a slower shutter speed. How slow? The answer depends on what
youre shooting, and how blurred you want it to be. The only way to know for
sure is to experiment. You might start with a shutter speed of 1/15th, and later
discover through trial and error that you prefer the effects of a full four-second
exposure, or something even longer! Figure 1.5 shows some of the fun to behad with slower shutter speeds. Depending on how slow you go, you may
require the use of a tripod, as shown in Figure 1.6.
Figure 1.4 Measured in
fractions of a second,
faster shutter speeds
freeze action whereas
slower shutter speeds
allow for the creative useof motion blur.
Figure 1.5 A slow shut-
ter speed of five seconds
made it possible to capture
passing vehicles as blurred
streaks of taillights. (Note:
The slow shutter speed of
five seconds required the
use of a tripod to stabilize
the camera and prevent
camera shake.) 5 seconds,
f/8, 80, point & shoot
shutter speedetc, 1 sec, 1 / 30, 1/ 250, 1/ 500, 1/ 1000, 1/ 8000, etc...
slower(motion blur)
faster(action frozen in time)
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8 Your Camera Loves You: Learn To Love It Back
Conversely, faster shutter speeds allow you to seemingly stop time by freezing
your subjects, as in Figure 1.7. Whether trying to capture your two-year-old
toddler, your daughters basketball game, or anything else on the move, afaster shutter speed makes it possible. How fast exactly? Well, just as before,
it depends. Youll need to consider how fast your subject is moving and
thenexperiment!
Figure 1.6 I keep this
tripod in my purse for
occasions when I might
want to shoot with slower
shutter speeds. Its the
GorillaPod from JOBY(www.joby.com) and it
makes an awesome addi-
tion to any equipment
arsenal. Its legs can stand
straight like a traditional
tripod, or you can wrap
them around objects (poles,
posts, rails, and the like) to
get the shot you want.
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Chapter 1: Three's Company 9
ApertureControls the amount of light that passes through the lens,as well as something called depth of field.
As long as were comparing cameras to human eyes, we might also say that the
aperture is akin to your pupil. Just as your pupil dilates or constricts in response
to different lighting conditions, aperture is an opening inside your lens that can
be set wide to let in more light, or closed down to let in less light.
Measured in something called f-stops, aperture controls how much light is
allowed to pass through the camera lens on its way to the sensor. In darker
shooting conditions, the aperture might be opened wider to allow more light toreach the sensor, while brighter lighting environments may require the aperture
to be closed down to keep light out.
Figure 1.7 To freeze
the soccer player
and ball in action,
a faster shutter
speed of 1/1000 was
used. 1/1000, f/4.5,
100, dSLR
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10 Your Camera Loves You: Learn To Love It Back
Unlike shutter speed, which relates to the camera body itself, aperture is a
function of the lens. Therefore, the f-stop range available to you will vary from
one lens to the next (Figure 1.8).
Because aperture values are really fractions (for the curious minds out there,
the formula is focal length divided by effective diameter), the smaller numbers
are actually wideropenings than the bigger numbers. Thus, a setting of f/2.8 is
wider and lets in more light than f/11 does.
Figure 1.8 Heres a rep-
resentation of various
f-stop opening sizes as
they range from f/1.4 to
f/16. Note that f/16 has
a smaller opening than
f/1.4, even though 16 is a
larger number than 1.4.
The largernumbers let in
less light.
Try this!To see firsthand how your pupils constrict to accommodate brighter
lighting situations, head to the bathroom, turn off the lights, and stand
in front of the mirror in the dark for a minute or so. Bring your face
close to the mirror, flip on the lights and look at your eyes. If youre fast
enough, youll actually see your pupils change size as they constrict in
response to the light. When you were standing in the dark, your pupils
dilated in an attempt to allow more light into your eyes. But the moment
you flipped the light switch on, they constricted to prevent the light
from blinding you. Thats exactly how aperture works. Pretty cool, huh?
aperture openings (not drawn to scale)
f/1.4
f/5.6
f/ 2
f/ 8
f/2.8
f/11
f/ 4
f/16
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Chapter 1: Three's Company 11
Aperture comes with an added bonus
Not only does aperture control how much light passes through the lens, but
it also has the power to direct the viewers attention by controlling something
called depth of field.
Depth of field refers to the size of the range of focus within a given image
(Figure 1.9).
Deep: A deep depth of field ensures that both the foreground (the area in
front of your subject) and background (the area behind your subject) will
appear in focus, whereas a shallowdepth of field makes it possible for the
subject to be in focus while the foreground and background are not.
Shallow: Wider aperture openings (smaller numbers like f/3.5 or f/4),
therefore, not only let in more light, but they also create a shallower depth
of field, resulting in a blurrier foreground/background.
Conversely, narrower aperture openings (larger numbers such as f/16 or f/22)
reduce the quantity of light while creating a deeper depth of field, allowing more
of the foreground and background to be in focus (Figure 1.10).
In Figure 1.11, you can literally see the shallow depth of field appearing as a
small strip of focus running across the focal plane of the frame. The image
becomes blurred as it moves in either direction away from the focal plane.
Figure 1.12 will help you begin to wrap your mind around the idea that your
f-stop setting not only controls the quantity of light, but also the depth of field.
Kinda like pizzaIts tricky to wrap your mind around at first, but remember that f-stops
are fractions. Just as a pizza cut into 11 slices would have smaller
slices than the same pizza cut into only 4 slices, its the same with
apertureonly less tasty. F/11 is a smaller aperture opening than f/4,
and therefore lets in less light.
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12 Your Camera Loves You: Learn To Love It Back
Figure 1.9 An extremely
wide aperture of f/1.4
causes the image to
become blurrier as the dis-
tance from the subject (the
clock) increases in eitherdirection (away from or
toward the camera). 1/60,
f/1.4, 800, dSLR
Figure 1.10 An aperture
of f/22 brings more of
the background and fore-
ground info focus. 4/5,
f/22, 3200, dSLR
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Chapter 1: Three's Company 13
Figure 1.12 Your effective depth of field is the result of your chosen f-stop setting combined
with other factors, including the focal length of your lens and the distance between you and
the subject.
Figure 1.11 This is a
close-up (macro) shot
of a small stationerybox I keep on my desk.
The decorative pattern
makes it easy to see
where the shallow focal
plane cuts across the
frame. 1/200, f/2.8,
640, dSLR
aperture & depth of fieldf/ 2.8 f/ 4 f/ 5.6 f/ 8 f/ 11 f/ 16
shallower depth of field(blurrier background)
deeper depth of field(more of your image in focus)
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14 Your Camera Loves You: Learn To Love It Back
To help you remember and make sense of all this, just ask yourself this ques-
tion: When youre in your car driving down the highway, and you attempt to
read a sign far off in the distance, what do you do?
You squint. We instinctively try to expand our focal range by literally making
our eyes smaller (not sure if it really helps you read the road sign, but it doesmake a really great analogy!). Aperture works the same way. The smaller the
opening, the bigger the focal range, and vice versa.
No one said this has to be complicated!
ISOControls the cameras sensitivity to light.
Its the digital equivalent of film speed.Back in the day, we bought different rolls of film for different kinds of shoot-
ing situations. For most people, this meant a last-minute trip to the drugstore
only to end up standing in the checkout aisle confused about which box to buy.
Should you get 800 or 200 speed? 24 exposures or 36? Such decisions! And
whatever you bought, you were stuck with it until you finished the roll.
The pictures on the boxes were somewhat helpful in helping folks decide which
film to buy. Sunny outdoor pictures graced the boxes of 200 speed film to let
us know it was a good choice for bright/outdoor scenes, while indoor pictures
of candlelit birthday parties reminded us that 800 speed film was for low light
or indoor situations. Most people were just happy to have picked something
anythingeven if they didnt always know what it meant. At least they could
get out of the store and on with their lives!
Thankfully, we no longer need to stand in the drugstore, scratching our heads
in a quandary about which film to purchase, nor do we need to finish a whole
roll before switching to something that might be more appropriate for a given
shooting situation. With digital, you can change the ISO from one photo to
the next.
The available ISO range varies from camera to camera, but a typical example
might range from 100 to 1600 or higher (Figure 1.13). The higher the number,the more sensitive the cameras sensor becomes. Thus, a low setting such as
ISO100 will require more light to make a photo than a higher setting such as
ISO1600 would.
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Chapter 1: Three's Company 15
While every situation is different and the possible combinations for ISO, shut-
ter speed, and aperture are too numerous to list, its nice to at least have a
loose reference point.
Low/100200 ISO: Bright, sunny, or otherwise well-lit environment.
200800 ISO: Indoors or outdoors with less light (very cloudy, in the
shade, twilight hours, and so on).
800+ ISO: Low-light situations where its considerably darker.
Figure 1.13 Available ISO
capabilities vary from
camera to camera, but
they generally range from
low (100) to 1600, 3200,
and higher. The lower thenumber, the less sensi-
tive the sensor is to light,
whereas the higher the
number, the more sensitive
the sensor becomes,
making it possible to make
a photograph with less
available light.
ISO settingslow, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, high
less sensitive(less noise,
for use in brighter situations)
more sensitive(more noise,
for use in low-ligh t situations)
ISO on your cameraWhile many cameras offer ISO options similar to traditional film
speeds, some models may only give you the option for low or high ISO.
Additionally, some models may include settings called something like
H1 (typically representing a generic high-level ISO) and possibly H2
(representing a higher-level ISO). As every make and model tends tovary, its impossible to include an exhaustive list of possibilities. Check
your user guide if youre not sure where to find your cameras ISO or
how to decipher the meaning of any additional options.
Just like high-speed film, high ISO settings have a drawback you may already
be familiar withdigital noise. Aka, gunk or rubbish, as our British friends
might say (Figure 1.14). Its the digital equivalent of film grain, only somewhat
less romantic. The problem has been dramatically reduced over the years and
continues to improve, but it is still noticeable and worth consideration.
For this reason, shooting with a high ISO setting (1000+) is typically a last
resort, used only when all other combinations of shutter speed and aperture
have been exhausted. If your shutter speed is as slow as can be without a
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16 Your Camera Loves You: Learn To Love It Back
tripod, and your aperture is as wide open as the lens is capable of being (or
as wide as your desired depth of field demands), and you still arent able to
achieve a decent exposure, then it makes sense to reach for a higher ISO. But
generally, its not where you want to start.
Figure 1.14 Taken in the
darkness of a Broadway
theater, this photo illus-
trates the effects of digital
noise (exaggerated a tad
here to make it easier to
see). 1/15, f/2.0, 1600,
point & shoot
ISO restrictionsMany cameras have a restriction for ISO that limits how high your
camera is allowed to reach when attempting to increase ISO for a
proper exposure. This feature is sometimes referred to as expanded
or high ISO, and it prevents you from unintentionally shooting at very
high ISO settings. Dont like being restricted? Dig around in your settings
to remove the limitation.Note: The option to remove the restriction islikely found within a general settings menu. Its not necessarily in the
same place where you select your specific ISO settings.
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Chapter 1: Three's Company 17
Putting it all togetherRegardless of whether you prefer to let the camera handle all the decision
making (auto mode) or if you like calling your own shots (manual mode), its all
just a triangular-shaped balancing act. Now that you understand the variables,lets revisit the infamous exposure triangle (Figure 1.15).
The overall objective is a pretty simple one to create something that is, to
you, an ideal exposure. Whether the camera does it for you, or you take control
by selecting your own shutter speed, aperture, and/or ISO, balance is the key.
A shift to one part of the equation will require an adjustment to the other two
settings. Theres no right or wrong way to combine the three variablesas long
as you get the results you want.
The good news is that there are all different kinds of shooting modes that facili-
tate this process, giving you a choice as to how the variables are combined and
how much control you want to keep for yourself, or turn over to the camera.
Are you starting to feel the love? Onward to Chapter 2!
Figure 1.15
The triangular-shaped
balancing act known as
creating an exposure.
sensitivity to light/digital noise
ISO
shutterspeed aperture
quantity of light/depth of fieldtime/motion
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18 Your Camera Loves You: Learn To Love It Back
Chapter snapshotThe unique combination of three things is responsible for creating the exposure
of your image: shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.
Shutter speed controls time and motion.
Aperture controls quantity of light and depth of field.
ISO is how sensitive your cameras sensor is to light.
Theres no right or wrong way to combine all these variables, as long as you get
the exposure that you want.
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CHAPTER2
Shooting Mode
Bonanza
Captured with an older model point-and-shoot camera, this image
depicts the triumphant feeling that comes with taking control
over your camera and not being afraid to boss it around.
GETTING BOSSY, AND
LEARNING TO LIKE IT.
If the alphabet soup of shooting modes and dizzying collec-
tion of scenes (or presets) your camera offers has ever felt
overwhelming, you are not alone. Its largely the reason so
many peoples cameras spend most of their lives in auto mode,
never getting to live up to their full potential. How sad!
Buttheres a world of goodness (not to mention better
photos!) awaiting you if youre open to it. You may even let
go of auto mode altogether once you try some of the other
options (seriously!).
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22 Your Camera Loves You: Learn To Love It Back
The shooting modes represent what I like to refer to as a continuum of
control as seen in Figure 2.1. On one end of the spectrum is auto mode, in
which the camera is the boss and you have pretty much zero control. The
other end of the spectrum is home to manual mode, offering you full executive
power and complete control over every image.
Specialty modes and scenes tend to fall somewhere in between.
In most dSLRs, shooting modes are commonly found on a round dial on top of
the camera, as in Figure 2.2.
Figure 2.1 Modes on the
left, such as auto, give you
little to no control over
camera settings, whereas
modes on the right, such
as Tv/S, Av/A, or M, give
you greater amounts of
control. Specialty modes
or scenes generally fall
somewhere in between.
continuum of control
tv/s, av/a, m(more to full control)
auto, p(no to little control)
Figure 2.2 The available
shooting modes on a dSLR
camera are usually found on a
dial like this, located on top of
the camera.
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Chapter 2: Shooting Mode Bonanza 23
A point-and-shoot camera might have a similar dial (Figure 2.3)or a more
limited slider bar (Figure 2.4)on the top with additional options within your
menu system. Its also possible that some point-and-shoot camera models
dont offer shooting modes, providing scene presets instead (explained later
in this chapter).
I suggest taking a moment to locate each one as we go through them. As always,
if you get lost, cozy up with your user guide.
Automated modesThe first two modes on the far left of the continuum (Figure 2.1) take the guess-work out of photography, making it quick and easy to get a shotand get on
with your life.
AUTO MODE (A)
This is home base for most peopleand not without reason. Its comfortable, it
doesnt require any thinking, and although the results might often be unpredict-
able or disappointing, you can always just blame the camera, right?
Not anymore! Youll learn how to take responsibility for your images as we
move through this book.
Figure 2.3 Some point-and-shootcameras that offer expanded controls
(such as Canons Powershot G or S series)
feature a dial thats similar to what you
|would find on a dSLR.
Figure 2.4 Though most point-and-shootcameras offer a more limited range of
shooting modes, youll typically find a selec-
tion of helpful presets to accommodate
various shooting situations from within your
cameras scene menu.
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24 Your Camera Loves You: Learn To Love It Back
In auto mode, the camera is in the drivers seat and gets free reign regarding all
decision makingand it is certainly not interested in anyinput from you. Need
to change your white balance? Dont even think about it. Did the camera mis-
judge the exposure? Too bad. Feel like you need to add some fill-flash? Think
again. (Dont have a clue what white balance or fill-flash is? Dont worryyoull
learn all about it in Chapter 3, Function Junction: Flash, White Balance, and
Exposure Compensation. For now, just know that auto mode is pretty restric-
tive and doesnt give you many, if any, options for tweaking settings.)
In fact, some functions may even appear to be entirely missing from your
camera when set to auto mode. So if youre trying to find your white balance
settings and are nearly convinced your camera doesnt have it, dont give up.
Those settings are likely there. Many cameras simply declare them off limits
in auto mode.
Success is hardly "automatic,"no matter the cameraSome folks think that having a big fancy dSLR means that auto mode is
somehow better than it would be on a less expensive model or a point
and shoot. The truth is, its notand not by a long shot.
Take a look at the first two images on the facing page. These images
were shot with a professional dSLR, a pro lens, and a pro hot-shoe flash
(an external flash mounted to the top of the camera) for a total cost of
just under $5,000. One was captured with the camera (and the flash)set to auto mode (yuck!), while the other was shot with the same fancy
gear, using a different mode that offers more control.
Stillnot convinced? Even a simple programmable mode on my older
model point and shoot beats auto mode on my fancy dSLR! Have a look
at the final shot of the same scene, captured on a camera that cost less
than $400.
Auto mode is still just auto modeeven on a fancy camera.
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Chapter 2: Shooting Mode Bonanza 25
Captured in auto mode on
professional equipment (with
an apparently very dirty lens!),
this photo was horribly expen-
sive considering the cost of
the professional gear used to
create it. All that gear (about
$5,000 worth) and the photo
still looks horrifically bad.
Thats auto mode for ya!
Using the same professionalgear in a different shooting
mode that offers more control
than auto, I was able to cancel
the flash, choose a slower
shutter speed, and get a much
higher-quality shot.
This one is straight from my
older model point-and-shoot
camera. In a programmable
mode, I simply canceled the
flash and gave the camera
permission to access the higher
range ISO settings to compen-
sate for not using the flash.
Simple! (And much, much lessexpensive!)
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26 Your Camera Loves You: Learn To Love It Back
PROGRAM MODE (P)
This setting is similar to auto mode, but without the handcuffs. The camera still
makes the decisions regarding shutter speed, aperture, and ISObut youre
free to chime in with suggestions on settings such as white balance, exposure
compensation, and flash settings (explained in Chapter 3).
Its practically paradise for the auto mode converts out there (maybe thats
what the P should stand forparadise!). If your camera supports this option,
its definitely worth warming up to. Figure 2.5 and Figure 2.6 are great exam-
ples of how easy it can be to get wonderful images from program mode.
T I P
Some camera models
also include a mode
called Creative Auto (CA)
that splits the differ-
ence between auto and
program modes. If youre
super curious, your user
guide can fill you in on
the details.
Figure 2.5 By selecting program mode on my
point-and-shoot camera, I was able to cancel the
flash that wouldve otherwise ruined the shots.
Figure 2.6 Another image made possible by selecting my
point and shoots program mode and canceling the flash.
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Chapter 2: Shooting Mode Bonanza 27
Specialty modesThis next cluster of modes is sometimes found on the dial next to auto and
program modes, while other times the specialty modes are tucked in with your
cameras scene options. Every camera model is different, so keep yours (andyour user guide) on hand to locate the modes (or scenes) as we go.
PORTRAIT MODE
Traditional portraiture uses wide apertures to make the background appear
slightly blurred, directing the viewers attention to the subject in the fore-
ground. As you read in Chapter 1, Threes Company: Understanding Shutter
Speed, Aperture, and ISO, this is known as a shallow depth of field.
When you select portrait mode, youre telling the camera that youre about
to take a close-up photo of a person (Figure 2.7)and that youd like to separatethem from the background with a shallow depth of field.
The camera takes a stab at this by prioritizing the exposure for a wider aperture.
Of course, exactly how blurred the background will be also depends on lighting
conditions, your lens, and the distance between you and your subject. (Blurred
backgrounds are even more dramatic when youre close to your subjectso
dont be afraid to get closer!)
Figure 2.7 My husband
Emir, making our point
and shoots portrait mode
look good!
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28 Your Camera Loves You: Learn To Love It Back
Additionally, since portraiture generally involves taking photos of people, its
important that the color in such images be handled with care to produce whats
known as pleasing skin tones. Portrait mode facilitates this by optimizing satura-
tion, brightness, and contrast with this goal in mind.
LANDSCAPE MODE
Contrary to what you may think when looking at the icon, you dont have to live
in a mountain state to make use of landscape mode! Essentially the opposite of
portrait mode, this setting tells the camera thatunlike a portrait with a blurry
backgroundyoud prefer more of your image in focus. The camera responds
with a smaller aperture for greater depth of field. Just as portrait mode places
an emphasis on great color for skin tones, landscape mode puts an emphasis
on rendering color for great-looking foliage and skies (Figure 2.8).
Figure 2.8 The beauti-
ful green coast of Wales
captured with a point-and-
shoot camera.
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Chapter 2: Shooting Mode Bonanza 29
SPORTS MODE
Similar to what some cameras also call kids & pets mode, sports mode tells
the camera youre about to photograph a moving target. The camera responds
by making a faster shutter speed the priority and employing a special focusing
mode (usually called servo or continuous focusing) that allows you to trackmoving targets (Figure 2.9).
Additionally, some cameras might include a drive shift into whats known as
burst mode, enabling you to shoot several frames in rapid succession (dis-
cussed further in Chapter 4 , Function Junction, Part Deux: Metering, Focus,
and Drive). All this, and you still dont have to worry about setting your
own exposure!
Figure 2.9 Emir used our
point-and-shoot camera to
capture this image of yourstruly sand boarding in
Moroccos Sahara Desert.
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30 Your Camera Loves You: Learn To Love It Back
MACRO MODE
Macro mode is a bit of a trickster, appearing in a number of different places
on different camerassometimes on the dial along with everything else weve
talked about so far, sometimes within a menu, and sometimes it gets its very
own button on the back. If you cant easily find yours, check your user guide.
Macro mode enables your camera to focus on objects very close to your lens
as in Figure 2.10, making it possible to capture close-up imagery in a way not
possible in other modes.
Since youre working at such a close distance, you may find that it works best
to turn off your flash while shooting in this mode. Experiment to see what you
like best.
Figure 2.10 This image
was captured with the
macro mode on my super
ancient point-and-shoot
cameraand it looks
great!
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32 Your Camera Loves You: Learn To Love It Back
Scene modesSimilar to the shooting modes we just discussed, sceneshelp you fine-tune
some additional camera settings by providing a variety of presets for situations
or scenes you might find yourself in. Whether youre building a snowman,celebrating the Fourth of July, treasure hunting underwater, photographing kids
on the run, relaxing at the beach, or throwing a birthday party, theres probably
a scene preset to help you out. In some cases, scenes are found on your cameras
mode dial, whereas other models store them within the cameras menu system.
You can probably find a scene to match just about any condition you may find
yourself shooting in. The key is to experimentso take test shots ahead of
time. Dont wait until the exact moment little Suzy is about to blow out her
birthday candles to discover that you get better results from party scene
than night portrait!
You might also discover that your camera offers a wide selection of special-
effect scenes that mimic fish-eye or tilt-shift lenses (Figure 2.13 and Figure 2.14),
allow you to shoot in black and white, or help you capture photos to stitch into
a panorama later on the computer.
T I P
Scenes are most com-monly found on point-
and-shoot cameras,
and may or may not be
offered at all on your
dSLR. Who says dSLRs
get to have all the fun?
Figure 2.13 Times Square
rendered with the fish-eye
effect from my point and
shoots scene menu.
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Chapter 2: Shooting Mode Bonanza 33
Although most shooting modes (except for auto) let you adjust settings such as
white balance and exposure compensation (explained in Chapter 3), the free-
doms you have while shooting with a scene preset may be somewhat restricted
and can vary from scene to scene and camera to camera. You may be giving up
some control in exchange for a generalized preset recipe for a specific shooting
condition. As in life, theres some give and take.
Priority modesAt some point, you may find yourself wanting more control over your exposure
settings. While scenes and presets can be hugely advantageous, theyre still
limiting in the sense that the camera is still in the drivers seat, dictating the
specifics of shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.
In certain situations, youll want to take over the controls and make your
camera the copilotready to take orders from you for a change! If this sounds
exciting, but the idea of jumping to full-blown manual mode is too much tochew on, these next two modes may really float your boat.
Put on your captains hatits time to get bossy!
Figure 2.14 Captured
using my point and shoots
tilt-shift effect, this setting
makes things appear as if
they were very tiny and is
therefore also referred toas the miniature effect.
T I P
Most point-and-shoot
cameras dont offer prior-ity or manual shooting
modes, but more and
more compact models
are starting toso check
your user guide to find
out for sure. And even if
you discover your current
camera falls short when
it comes to offering these
options, dont quit read-
ingstudy up to know
what you want to look
for when youre ready to
expand your options.
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34 Your Camera Loves You: Learn To Love It Back
SHUTTER PRIORITY (T V) OR (S)
This mode has nothing to do with hooking your camera up to the latest high-def
big screen television (as the abbreviation on the dial may lead you to believe),
and everything to do with you rolling up your sleeves and flexing your photo
know-how!
The lowdown on dSLRsvs. point-and-shoot cameras
I firmly believe that any camera can be a great camera, whether its an
inexpensive point and shoot or a professional-level dSLR, as long as:
1. Its with you.
2. You fully understand how to use it.
That said, just as theres a difference between a hammer and a nail gun,
there are differences between a point and shoot and a dSLR that are
worth considering, one of which is the ease of taking control of settings
like shutter speed and aperture.
Though priority modes may not be an option on most point-and-shoot
cameras, some models, such as Canons Powershot G and Powershot
S series, are out to change that. They combine the compactness of a
point and shoot with the advanced control options, like priority and
manual modes, typically found only on dSLRs. Is it the best of both
worlds? Perhaps!
Shutter priority mode allows you to set your own shutter speed while leaving the
rest up to the camera. How awesome is that? Control without the headache!
Plus, dont forget you still have access to options such as white balance and
exposure compensation (explained in Chapter 3), making this mode pretty darn
attractive, wouldnt you say? Additionally, while in this mode you may have the
option of selecting auto for your ISO, or choosing a specific ISO in addition to
choosing your shutter speed. Experiment or check your user guide to find out
for sure.
T I P
Some cameras refer to
shutter priority mode
with an (S). Others refer
to it as (Tv), which stands
for time variable since
the shutter speed (which
controls time) is the
priority when shooting in
this mode. All other expo-
sure decisions are built
around what you select
for the shutter speed.
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Chapter 2: Shooting Mode Bonanza 35
On a dSLR, you usually set the shutter speed by turning a dial that looks some-
thing like what you see in Figure 2.15.
If you have a point-and-shoot camera that offers shutter priority mode,
the control may be a dial on the back, a ring around the lens as pictured in
Figure 2.16, or a setting within the file menu. As always, if youre not sure where
to find something, pause for a moment and look it up in your cameras user guide.
Figure 2.15 The front dial
on a dSLR typically controlsshutter speed.
Figure 2.16 This ring
around the lens on my
point and shoot controls
the shutter speed when
shooting in shutter
priority mode.
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36 Your Camera Loves You: Learn To Love It Back
Try it!
To get a feel for how this mode works and what your shutter is capable of,
set your camera to shutter priority mode and pick a shutter speed like 1/125th,
keeping in mind that your camera may simply display 125 instead of the frac-
tion. How do you know which shutter speed youve selected? Youll see yourcurrent shutter speedalong with various other exposure informationon
the screen when you look either through your viewfinder or at the back of your
LCD screen.
As you move the camera around and aim the lens at different scenes of varying
brightness levels, youll notice that the shutter speed holds constant while the
other settings fluctuate as the camera automatically adjusts the aperture (and
possibly the ISO) in response to whats in front of the lens. This is the beauty of
shutter priority mode. Pretty cool, huh?
Play with your shutter speed and see how fast its capable of goingit might beable to reach speeds as fast as 1/4000th or even 1/8000th of a second! What
about its slowest option? Depending on your camera model, your shutter might
be capable of exposures as long as 15 or 30 seconds!
Shutter speeds of a full second or slower are usually expressed with double
quotation marks. So while a shutter speed of 1/30th might appear on your
screen as 1/30 or simply 30a shutter speed of 30 full seconds would be dis-
played as 30".
How might you use shutter priority mode in real life?
Imagine that youre on the adventure of a lifetime somewhere exciting in Africa.
Youre perched in a rooftop cafe enjoying the view while the market square
below you is abuzz with activity.
You soak up the sights and sounds of motorbikes racing by, vendors selling
everything from fresh fruit to henna tattoos, and musicians filling the air with the
sounds of their African drums (Figure 2.17). Definitely a scene to remember!
Naturally, you reach for your camera and decide that, in an effort to convey the
life and energy of the scene, youd like to capture the movement of the people
with a touch of motion blur. If youve read Chapter 1, you know its the shutter
speed that controls time and movement. And because youre reading this chap-ter, you know that of all the modes weve discussed thus far, shutter priority is
the only one that lets you pick a shutter speed without having to worry about
anything else. So for this situation, its a great choice.
T I PSome cameras even have
a special mode called
bulb that keeps the
shutter open for as long
as you hold the shutter
button down!
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Chapter 2: Shooting Mode Bonanza 37
Figure 2.17 Jemaa al Fna
Square in Marrakech,
Morocco. 1/2 second,
f/8, 80, point & shoot
To blur the movement of the people, youll need a slowshutter speed. Exactly
how slowwill ultimately depend on the light, how fast or slow your subjects
are moving, and how blurred you want their movement to appear. Anytime
you plan to slow down your shutter to anything beyond 1/15th or even 1/30th,
camera shake is a possibility. But dont panic if you didnt pack your tripod (who
wants to drag that around on vacation?); just find a bench, ledge, or tabletop to
set your camera on, and youll be fine.
Make sure your flash is turned off and try setting the shutter speed to 1/15th of
a second to start with. You have to start somewhere and 1/15th is literallyjust a
guess. (Ill talk more about turning off the flash in Chapter 3; for now, just know
that sometimes flash gets in the way, and we dont want it to interfere with the
scene here.)
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38 Your Camera Loves You: Learn To Love It Back
Steady the camera and press the shutter button. Check out the resulting photo.
If the people arent blurry enough for your liking, slow the shutter down even more
(but not too slowor the people passing by might not show up at all). If you think
the people are too blurry, pick a fastershutter speed. Go wild and experiment like
crazy. Try a second, 8 seconds, or whatever your camera will allow. Theres no
right or wrong answer here, just whatever you like best. Isnt that reassuring?
Once you get the shot you were hoping for, switch the camera back to auto
mode and take a photo. Isnt the difference astounding? Arent you proud of
yourself? Do something special with that image when you get back home. Its a
true accomplishmentframe worthy for sure!
But what if you wanted to freeze the action instead? You would follow the same
process, but youd start with a faster shutter speed, maybe 1/250 or 1/500,
and go from there. The more you play with these modes, the better youll get at
guessing, and the faster youll arrive at an exposure that you like.
APERTURE PRIORIT Y (AV)/(A)
As you might now imagine, aperture priority mode lets you set the aperture
while the camera selects the shutter speed. Like shutter priority mode, aper-
ture priority might also give you the option of either selecting auto for your
ISO, or being able to choose your ISO in addition to choosing your aperture.
Experiment or check your user guide to find out for sure.
On a dSLR, you typically adjust the aperture (in aperture priority mode) by turning
the same dial you previously used to adjust shutter speed. The dial is often mode
dependent, meaning that it controls the variable of whichever shooting mode
youre currently using. When youre in shutter priority mode, the dial controls
the shutter; when youre in aperture priority mode, it controls the aperture. (This
applies to the priority shooting modes only. If youre shooting in manual mode,
aperture might be controlled in a different way. Check your user guide for details.)
Try it!
To see the beauty of this mode in action, take a look at your info screen (either
through your viewfinder or on your LCD screen) and set your aperture to
something like f/5.6 (typically displayed on your screen as just 5.6). As you
did before, aim your camera at scenes with varying levels of brightness. Youll
notice that while the aperture setting remains constant, the camera is con-
tinually adjusting the shutter speed (and possibly the ISO, depending on your
camera model and the way youve configured your settings). Who says you
cant have your cake and eat it, too?
T I P
Still shaky? If youve
steadied the camera on a
ledge, bench, or tabletop
and youre still getting
a bit of camera shake in
an image (which is quite
common), try using your
cameras timer func-
tion set to 2 seconds
(see Chapter 3 for more
details). By the time you
press the button and let
go, the camera will have
stabilized again before
taking the picture.
T I P
Some cameras refer to
aperture priority mode
with an (A), while others
refer to it as (Av)which
you might now guess
stands for aperture
variable.
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Chapter 2: Shooting Mode Bonanza 39
How wide is the aperture of your lens capable of opening? As you play with the
controls, you may find that it stops at f/5.6, f/4.5, or f/3.5. If you zoom your
lens all the way out, you may discover youre able to open the aperture even
wider. So while the aperture may have stopped at f/4.5 or f/5.6 when you were
zoomed in closer, once you zoom all the way out, you may be able to open it as
wide as f/3.5 or wider. (This phenomenon is explained further in Chapter 5 ,
Through the Looking Glass: The Lowdown on Lenses.)
How small can your aperture setting go? Play with your settings and see for
yourself. It may be as tiny as f/8, f/11, or even f/22!
How would you use aperture priority mode in real life?
If youre in a situation in which you want to separate your subject from the
background by using a shallow depth of field like in Figure 2.18,this mode is for
you! Set your aperture to as wide open as your lens is capable of, come in as
close to the subject as possible, and take the shot.
Figure 2.18 To make
this cutie pop from the
background, I created
a shallow depth of field
by selecting a wide
aperture. 1/800, f/2.8,
640, dSLR
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40 Your Camera Loves You: Learn To Love It Back
Conversely, if youre taking a group shot and want to make sure that everyone
is in focus from the front row to the back, be sure that you dont use a wide
aperture or you may only get the people in the first row or so in focus. Doh! In
such a case, you might start with test shots set to an aperture of f/5.6 or f/8
and adjust as necessary.
It really is that easy! Again, the more you play with these modes, the easier
they become and the faster youll get.
Full controlAt times, letting the camera have any input at all may prove to be more of a
hassle than its worth. As the saying goes, when you want something done
right, sometimes you just have to do it yourself!
MANUAL MODE (M)
When partial control just isnt cutting it, manual mode is the way to gogiving
you full decision-making power over the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO for
each and every shot.
Even if you dont foresee yourself shooting in manual mode on a regular basis,
there are occasions when it may be literallythe only way to get the image you
want. Consider the following series of images captured on my point and shoot
in the dark of night of Moroccos Sahara Desert. Figure 2.19 was captured the
way most people wouldve approached the scenein auto mode (with auto
flash). The result is a bright mound of sand, giving way to a black abyss. If I
didnt know any better, Id think we were in a black hole!
After studying the previous image and acknowledging the dark cavernous
abyss beyond the range of the flash, you might think that night portrait mode
(or night portrait scene) would be a better choice here, since it generally allows
more of the background (the area not lit by the flash) to be recorded.
The result of night portrait mode is shown in Figure 2.20,where youll notice
that the camera made two exposure adjustments: the shutter speed slowed
from 1/15th of a second to 1 second, and the ISO increased from 400 to 640.
While night portrait mode was a nice attempt (if you look closely, you can
see a bit more of the camels and clouds), it wasnt enough to make much of
a difference.
T I P
As mentioned earlier,
if your point and shoot
doesnt offer manual
mode but you dont want
to trade its compact size
for the manual control
options typically found
only on a dSLR, check out
Canons Powershot G or
Powershot S series. It is
possible to have full con-
trol in a tiny camera!
T I P
The resulting blurriness
of the background
(referred to as bokeh)
will be exaggerated the
closer you are to your
subject and the longer
the focal length of your
lens. Figure 2.18 was
captured with a 200mm
lens, resulting in an espe-
cially blurry background.
(Dont know what focal
length is? See Chapter 5
for details.)
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Chapter 2: Shooting Mode Bonanza 41
If youve read ahead to Chapter 3, you may be thinking, What about exposure
compensation? Wouldnt that fix it? I like the way you think! Buteven though
exposure compensation is incredibly handy (as youll see later in Chapter 3)in
this example, we are so far offfrom a proper exposure that even something as
great as exposure compensation cant save us.
Nope. I had only one choiceswitch to manual mode.
ThenI canceled the flash. Since its only capable of illuminating a limited dis-
tance (as opposed to lighting up the entire Sahara), it isnt helpful here.
Next, opening the aperture as wide as I could, I slowed down the shutter speed
for the longest exposure my point-and-shoot camera was capable of and
selected the lowest ISO I thought I could get away with (as you may recall from
Chapter 1, higher ISOs result in images with a lot of digital noise).
In this situation, it was actually so dark out that I could barely see well enough
to compose the scene, let alone find something to focus on. Thus, if you look
carefully, the focus is actually on the sand rather than on the structures or
camels as I wouldve liked it to bebut as soon as I pressed the shutter button,
waited 15 seconds for the exposure and eventually saw the resultI was in love!
Figure 2.19 Shot in auto mode, the camera choose
all the settings, resulting in a brightly lit mound of sand
surrounded by a huge black hole ofnothing.1/15th, f/2.0, 400, Flash: fired (auto), point & shoot
Figure 2.20 When auto mode fails in a situation like this,
you might reach for night portrait mode next. While night
portrait mode may be successful at a wedding reception ordowntown somewhere with city lights behind youhere
in the middle of the dark desert, it just wasnt enough.
1 second, f/2.0, 640, Flash: fired (auto), point & shoot
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42 Your Camera Loves You: Learn To Love It Back
Thanks to the full control of manual mode, I was able to capture a gorgeous
rendering of the Sahara Desert (Figure 2.21) complete with two camels,
twinkling stars, and the warm glow of our campfire (which could not be seen
whatsoever in the previous two frames because the flash overpowered it).
But how do you know which settings to use? Keep reading to find out!
Figure 2.21 Our view of the Sahara Desert as made possible with manual shooting mode.
15 seconds, f/2.5, 400, Flash: canceled, point & shoot
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Chapter 2: Shooting Mode Bonanza 43
GET TO KNOW YOUR LIGHT METER
It may seem like professional photographers routinely pull perfect exposure
settings out of a magic hatbut it doesnt work quite that way. Over time, prac-
tice, experience, and ultimately, trial and error will prove to be your best strategy
(I literally guessed at the settings I used for the Sahara shot in Figure 2.21).But before you master the skills that come from practice, practice, and more
practice, there is a tool made specificallyfor helping you choose the appropriate
exposure settings. The good news? You already have itits built right into your
camera.
Ladies and gentlemen, Id like to introduce you todrum rollyour very own
light meter (Figure 2.22)!
-2 -1 +2+1. . . . . . . .
light meter Figure 2.22 Displayed when looking through your view-finder or at the back of your LCD screen, some light meters
are horizontal like this one, whereas others are displayedvertically. Some include numbers and others just display
dashes or tick marks. If you have a hard time finding it on
your camera, your user guide should be able to show you
exactly what it looks like.
Light meters work by measuring the light in any given scene and predicting
what the exposure will look like based on the cameras current settings. Youll
find the light meter when looking through your viewfinder (or possibly at your
LCD screen). They vary from camera to camera, so while the meter in Figure
2.22 is displayed horizontally, yours might run up and down instead. Some
meters include numbers as shown with the meter in Figure 2.22, while others
just show dashes or tick marks with no numbers whatsoever. If you have a hard
time locating the meter on your camera, check your user guide for details.
The value of the light meter is that it dynamically adjusts based on the light it
reads coming from the scene in front of the lensand how your current camera
settings relate. If you remember back to Chapter 1, you learned that light is
measured in something called stops. If you look closely, youll notice that even if
your meter doesnt include numbers, it displays an exposure range stretching
from two stops underexposed (2) to two stops overexposed (+2), typically in
increments of 1/3 of a stop.
The further away your current camera settings are from what the meter thinks
they should be, the further to either side of center (0) the indicator will go.
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44 Your Camera Loves You: Learn To Love It Back
Thus, when the camera thinks the picture will be too dark (underexposed), the
indicator will be displayed on the minus () side, as in Figure 2.23.
And as you would expect, if the camera thinks your photo will be too bright
(overexposed), the indicator will be displayed on the plus (+) side, as in Figure
2.24. Again, the further toward the + side the indicator is, the brighter thecamera believes the exposure will be.
Of course, its no surprise that when youve made the meter happy, the indica-
tor will hover around the center (0), letting you know that the camera believes
youve found the magical combination of settings that will make for a properly
exposed image (Figure 2.25).
-2 -1 +2+1. . . . . . . . -2 -1 +2+1. . . . . .. .Figure 2.24 This is how the light
meter looks when the camera
thinks an image will be overexposed
(too bright).
Figure 2.25 When the camera thinks
youve found a good combination of
shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, the
indicator will hover right in the center
at 0 (zero).
-2 -1 +2+1. . . . . . . .Figure 2.23 This is how the light
meter looks when the camera thinks
an image will be underexposed
(too dark).
Take your meter for a test driveTo see the meter in action for yourself, switch your camera to manual mode.
With the lens cap still on, look at your light meter. (You can also cover the
lens with your hand or stand in a dark closet.) It should be indicating underex-
posure (2).
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Chapter 2: Shooting Mode Bonanza 45
Now, stick the front of your lens right up close to something really bright (like
the bulb in the lamp on your nightstand). You should see a reading that indi-
cates overexposure (+2). (Try not to blind yourself or start any fires while doing
this, will ya?)
Try aiming the camera at other various scenes and youll see the light meter
jumping all over the place.
The meter is not the boss of you!
While its very helpful, the meter isnt perfectso try not to get obsessed with
the feeling that you cant take a photo unless the meter indicator is perfectly
centered (at zero), or the idea that a perfect meter reading will result in a
perfect photo. The meter is merely a tooldefinitely more of a guide than a
commander in chiefso just think of it as an assistant to help you find a starting
point for a decent exposure.
Remember that the camera doesnt know the scene youre facing, where the
light is coming from, or the effect youre trying to achieve. The camera is liter-
ally just measuring light and guessing whether or not it will be enough to record
an image. Ultimately, the only thing that matters is what you think and feel
about any test shots you take.
Would you be surprised to learn that your meter comes with its own set of
optionscalled metering modesthat control the way it takes measure-
ments? Its true! And the option you select can have a pretty huge impact
on how helpful (or not helpful) the meter is to you. When youre shooting in
one of the automated shooting modes, your metering mode can dramaticallyaffect the exposure settings your camera chooses and the image that results.
Curious? Youll learn more about it in Chapter 4.
For now, accept the fact that sometimes the meter will tell you that the photo
youre about to take will be too bright or too dark, and occasionally youll just
have to smile and shoot it anyway because test shots (and ultimately, experi-
ence) will train you to know better.
GIVE MANUAL MODE A TRY
To put everything weve talked about up to this point into perspective, youreally should roll up your sleeves and give manual mode a whirl for yourself. To
get started, make sure your camera is set to manual (M) and find an interesting
scene with a decent amount of light. Your living room, next to a large window
(during the day), would be a great place to experiment.
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46 Your Camera Loves You: Learn To Love It Back
If youre reading this at night while curled up on the sofa or in your bed, you can
still switch your camera to manual and play with the settings to get a feel of
how everything comes together. We will not be using flash for this exercise, so
make sure it is turned off or otherwise put away.
Position yourself so that your back (or side) is to the window (just be sureyoure not facing the window), and find something interesting on your coffee
table to take a photo of. (Seriously, as Figure 2.26 shows, this could be any-
thing. A tray of buttons from the craft room, Valentines Day cards from atop
your desk, a spool of ribbon, a basket of odds-and-endsheck, even your kids
action hero figurines would work!)
Figure 2.26 You dont
need a fancy subject in
front of your lens to try out
manual modejust grab
whatever is handy or easilywithin reach and get to it!
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Chapter 2: Shooting Mode Bonanza 47
Get down at eye level, come in close, and move the objects around if need be to
put together an interesting scene.
Now that our scene is set and weve got our subjects, were ready to think
about exposure. Since youre in manual (M) mode, the shutter speed, aperture,
and ISO are all up to you. But where do you start?
Set the ISO
Its probably easiest to start by setting a baseline ISO. In Chapter 1, you learned
that ISO relates to how sensitive your camera is to light. The higher the number,
the more sensitive your camera becomes.
Accessing your ISO might require pressing a button, turning a dial, or digging
into your camera menu. If youve never done it before and arent sure where to
look, your cameras user guide will certainly be able to help.
I like to think of ISO 200 as home base and generally a good place to begin. If
youre in a well-lit area (outside in broad daylight or inside with buckets of glori-
ous light pouring through your windows), I recommend starting there.
If its considerably cloudy out, or if theres just not much light coming through
your window, try something more sensitive like 400 or 800. You can always
return to this setting and make changes later, so remember that whatever you
go with initially, its just a place to start. For now, dont bother with the light
meterjust pick an ISO as explained above, and move on.
One variable down, two more to go!
Select the aperture
Lets lock down our aperture next. As you learned in Chapter 1, aperture is the
opening inside the lens that controls the quantity of light that passes through.
If youve never done this before and arent sure how to go about adjusting your
aperture while in manual mode, pat yourself on the backyoure about to learn
something new that will serve you well in the future. Look at you go!
Because all the manufacturers build their cameras so differently, and because
no one wants to read (or write) a book thats 10,000 pages long, Im afraid Illhave to refer you, once again, to your user gui